Love of the Light
by AnimeAngel90
Summary: Crystal Kasra was appointed Master of the Jedi Enclave by her best friend, Revan. However, against every teaching of her childhood, Crystal fell in love. This is her story. Set after Kotor 1. DISCONTINUED
1. Introduction

Teaser: Crystal Kasra was appointed Master of the Jedi Enclave by her best friend Revan. However, against every teaching of her childhood, Crystal fell in love. This is her story. (set after Kotor 1)

Angel: This story isn't really based on Kotor 1, but still contains references to many characters from it. Also, Revan is a LS female (also named Mara Kirei). This story is based mostly on a role-play my friends and I did, so forgive me if anything is written very strangely, or is completely unrealistic. Also, the story line of Kotor II is pretty much ignored, but please, try to bear it. Therefore, if any of the characters or events mentioned are actually from that game, please forgive me if they are completely incorrectly written as I had not played the game at the time that this roleplay/chapter was written.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything to do with Star Wars, or either Kotor game. However, I do own Crystal Kasra and Marcus, and my friends own their characters.

Note: The Shadow Knights are a group like Jolee – the grey Jedi. They are known as neutral, but tend to ally with the Jedi rather than the Sith.

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Crystal moved through the enclave, her soft blue eyes scanning the shadows of the corridor. As she moved, her long brown hair tangled around her head, and she brushed it aside in slight irritation.

Without warning, a second figure began following her down the corridor. He then walked up right behind the Jedi Master, and placed a hand on her shoulder. She jumped slightly and turned around, but managed to hide her fright quite well.

"Korgith!" she cried in delight as she recognised her friend.

He smiled as the Jedi Master hugged him. "Hello. I'm sorry if I scared you; the ability to move so silently is one of the few Force abilities still available to me."

Crystal drew back again, beaming, "That's alright. Anyway, it's wonderful to see you again! I haven't seen you for almost 6 months!" she said with a slight pout.

Korgith smiled slightly, "Well, Crystal, I am sorry about that. I had important work to do for the Shadow Knights; else I would've come back earlier to visit you...and the others, of course."

Crystal was still pouting, "Well, either way, I'm glad you came back now. The younglings have been asking about you; they love it when one of the Shadow Knights comes to visit. In fact, I'm about to have a lesson with them now; won't you join me?"

Korgith sighed, "Well, I suppose we shouldn't deny the little ones an attempt to attack me now, should we?" he said with resignation. Crystal merely chuckled and led Korgith out to the gardens.

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Indeed, the younglings did all 'attack' Korgith when he stepped onto the garden, and he was swept up into a waist-high group hug. Crystal merely laughed to herself as she watched Korgith attempt to free his legs from the grip of the youngest there, a little blue female Twi'lek.

Crystal, her eyes twinkling mischievously, then pretended to pout, looking hurt. "What, is Master Korgith now more important than me? Guess that means no stories for these little younglings then," she said as she pretended to walk away.

Korgith merely looked on with amusement as the looks of delight on the little ones' faces changed to looks of horror, and they all charged after their Master, all trying to stop her. Their little voices were all crying out apologies, and most of them also added the little puppy-dog faces that caused Crystal to spoil them most of the time.

Crystal then turned around, and knelt down into their midst, pulling them all into a hug. "No darlings, I wouldn't do that to you. I'm just teasing."

Korgith walked over to her, shaking his head, "Careful, or they may just reject you for me."

Crystal's expression changed to mock-horror, "What? My darling younglings would never do that! Would they?" she said as she looked around at the small group surrounding her. All of them shook their heads fiercely, and proceeded to hug her again.

Crystal smiled, and sat down, pulling the little Twi'lek into her lap. "Anyway, Korgith, while you're here, I suppose you should entertain the little ones with a story. What do you say?" she said with a grin as the younglings all turned their puppy-dog faces to Korgith.

He threw his hands up in the air, looking aggravated, "Alright, alright! You win!" he said as he also sat down, pretending to be cross. However, the Jedi Master knew better, and caught the softness in his eyes as he surveyed the little ones.

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A while later, Korgith, to the disappointment of the younglings, finished his story. He then showed them his latest weapon, an intricately decorated sword. However, after a stern word from Crystal, the younglings then left to attend the rest of their lessons, and go to lunch.

Crystal then joined Korgith at sitting on the bench in her favourite garden. She eyed the sword he was again admiring with some apprehension, "You know, I'm not sure you should have shown the younglings that sword. It looks far more dangerous than the last one you showed them."

Korgith merely shifted his position, hiding the sword back in its sheath once more, "No harm can come from viewing a sword."

Crystal frowned, "I beg to differ. Besides...I feel I have seen that blade before." The Jedi beauty then shook her head, "No, that's impossible. I must sound stupid."

Korgith looked slightly disturbed for a moment, but then his expression went blank once more. "No, you could never sound stupid, Crystal. Perhaps you have seen it before...after all, it did belong to my father, who was once a Jedi here." Korgith said with a slightly sad look on his features.

Crystal's expression softened, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring it up."

Korgith waved his hand in dismissal, "It's not your fault. Don't worry about it."

Crystal frowned again, but decided against pursuing a clearly delicate topic. "Anyway, why have you returned Korgith? I know, as much as I'd like to believe it, that it is not my charm or the delight of the younglings that brought you here. What has happened in the war?"

Korgith's expression showed sadness, "I had hoped you wouldn't ask of it, but yes, there is a business reason behind my return." He then took a deep breath, "Manaan has fallen, and the Sith fleet blockades it as we speak."

Crystal's face tightened, "Manaan? The Republic cannot afford to lose Manaan! Isn't there anything we can do?"

Korgith sighed sadly, "That is why I am here. Admiral Carth is doing everything he can, but since all that business with Revan and then Mistress Kirei, the Republic is not what it once was. I believe that the Republic cannot deal with this threat, and I have come to ask you to aid me with it. My ship will be able to get us past the blockade unnoticed. However, I feel I will need a Jedi's patience before this is over."

Crystal frowned. "You ask the help of the Jedi? Why?" she asked with suspicion in her voice.

Korgith sighed again, "Because...under orders of our Grand Master of course...I have been assigned to seek you out and consider an alliance between the Shadow Knights and the Jedi Order."

Crystal frowned in thought again, "Yes, I suppose that would work. I'd better check with the other Masters first, but I see no danger in it. The Shadow Knights have aided us greatly ever since they formed, and despite public belief, have never appeared to aid the Sith. Master Bindo, if he can be contacted of course, would no doubt be delighted to consider this alliance."

Korgith chuckled, "Oh, Crystal, there is no point in false modesty now. I know Mara left you, her dearest friend from her 'former life', in charge. And you can't pretend that Jolee wouldn't agree to this the second he heard of it."

Crystal sighed, "You know too much, my dear friend. I know they would agree, but this business with Manaan worries me."

Korgith nodded, "I know. Please, go to the Council, and ask their permission for this alliance to go ahead, and to accompany me on this...'voyage'."

Crystal smiled slightly, "All right then, I'm going. I'll meet you at the Phoenix Hunter in about an hour. After all, even with Jolee's aid, this could take a while."

Korgith chuckled slightly, but nodded, and left for his ship. Crystal then also left, but she went to go talk to the Council.

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About an hour later, Crystal was calmly walking towards the docking bay; a Jedi Knight walking beside her carrying her bag.

"Really, Marcus, this isn't necessary. I can carry my own belongings," she said as she turned to the Jedi Knight.

Marcus merely smiled at her. "True, but I mostly wanted the chance to say goodbye," he murmured softly as he kissed her cheek.

The Jedi Master flushed, and quickly took her bag from Marcus. "Well, ok then. Goodbye, and I'll try to be back soon. Say goodbye to the younglings for me."

Marcus nodded, smiling at the Jedi beauty as he left. Crystal then hurried over to Korgith's ship. When she started climbing the ramp, she noticed the Shadow Master standing at the top, a slight frown on his face.

She quickly brushed past him, and placed her bag down on the lounge. She then turned back to face Korgith, who had turned around to face her, the frown still on his face.

"So...who was that Jedi? He seemed...nice..."

Crystal, who had just bent over her bag to find her commlink, answered rather quickly, "Marcus? Well...he's a dear friend of mine, if you must know. Anyway, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you were jealous."

"Who, me? Jealous? I don't know what you're talking about..." he muttered half to himself.

Crystal just shook her head in amusement, and proceeded to the cockpit, with Korgith not far behind.

As she sat down in the co-pilot's chair, she eyed the controls apprehensively. "Korgith? I think it'd be best for you to drive your own ship, so can you set the co-ordinates for Manaan?"

Korgith nodded, and punched in some co-ordinates. After a while, the ship went into auto-pilot, freeing the two friends to talk.

Crystal started the conversation. "So Korgith. Interrogation time," she said with a grin.

Korgith arched an eyebrow at her, leaning back casually in the seat. "Well, I don't see what I did to deserve this, but fire away," he said in amusement.

Crystal frowned lightly, but continued anyway, "Well, I'll ask a question, and then you can ask me one. Fair?"

He nodded, "Fair."

"Ok then, why did you leave the Jedi Order? You've never told me."

Korgith's relaxed aura vanished, and he sat up straighter, looking a little sad. "I don't think I can explain it, but I decided that the Jedi weren't for me. I don't really want to talk about it."

Crystal's frown deepened, but she decided not to press the issue. "Well, anyway, your turn to ask a question."

It was Korgith's turn to frown in thought, "But I don't have anything I want to ask you!"

Crystal sighed, "Well, think of something!"

Korgith sighed in exasperation, and thought for a minute. A slow, (and to Crystal's eyes, evil,), smile reached his face. "Well, I just thought of something. When did you realise you liked me?"

Crystal flushed instantly, but tried to hide it. "Oh, how subtle. Really, you shouldn't expect an answer to a question like that anyway," she said as she quickly looked away.

The smile on Korgith's face broadened, but when Crystal turned back to him, her expression composed, his own face went blank.

Still looking slightly flustered, the Jedi Master continued the original topic of conversation. "Anyways, it's my turn again. Where did you get that sword?" she asked as she gestured towards Korgith's weapon.

Korgith pulled out the intricately decorated weapon, surveying it carefully. He seemed to be thinking about his answer. "It was a gift," he said quietly, giving as little information as he had before.

Crystal, beginning to get a little frustrated with Korgith, decided to continue the embroidery on her formal dress. She then got up and left with a hurried "I'll be back in a minute."

She returned a few minutes later, and sat down again with her dress, her needle, and some thread. She worked in silence for a short while, with Korgith occasionally checking the controls, but mostly just watching her.

After about 30 minutes had passed this way in silence, she glanced up and found the Shadow Master still watching her. "What? I like doing my own embroidery," she stated crossly as she shifted the material.

Korgith looked startled for a second, and blinked several times before answering, "I didn't say anything!"

"Well, you were staring at me like I was planning to kill you with the needle or something. You looked as paranoid as Admiral Carth was before he met Mara."

Korgith smiled at the reference, "You knew the Admiral during the time of Revan?"

Crystal nodded, "Yes, I did. Not well of course, as he hardly trusted anyone then, but I'd say we were friends. Mara did a good job with him; I hardly envy her the job of fighting for his trust."

When Korgith opened his mouth with a questioning look on his face, Crystal continued, "Many women officers and soldiers of the fleet were quite taken with him, and though I won't name names, I also know a few Senators who nurtured a soft spot for him as well. He however, would have none of them. Mara was one lucky girl to win his heart, and I know of several women who cursed her name when she was discovered as the Admiral's 'romantic interest'."

Crystal's expression then clouded over, "And those same women celebrated when she left, and leapt at the chance to 'comfort' the Admiral. They'll never have a chance, he's smitten with Mara, and I know he'll wait for her, no matter how long it takes."

Korgith frowned, "And how do you know of these things? Were you one of the Admiral's admirers too?"

Crystal flushed, "Good heavens, no! He and I were just dear friends, and he hardly spoke to me, or to anyone for that matter, after the attack on Telos unless he had to. Mara was just what the doctor ordered."

The Jedi Master then glanced up as the computer announced that they were approaching the planet, and that manual control was taking over. As Korgith turned around slightly to take the controls, Crystal glanced at the planet before them. Her eyes narrowed as she surveyed it, "Korgith, what are we doing here? I happen to know that this is not Manaan."

The Shadow Master avoided her gaze, looking slightly sheepish, "Well, as the Shadow Knights have information on the Sith blockade and suchlike, I thought it would be a good idea to come here to Kashyyyk first, so we have some idea of what we are up against."

Crystal stood up, and returned her dress to her bag without comment. She then returned to the cockpit. "Still, it would've been nice for you to tell me your plan," she said irritably as she sat down again, resuming her place at the controls.

Korgith sighed. "Well, I'm sorry," he said as he began piloting the _Phoenix Hunter_ into the hidden port of the Shadow Knights on the planet's surface.

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Angel: Well, I hope you enjoyed the first instalment of this story. Stay tuned for more coming up soon, and please, do review!

Note: I apologise for major discrepancies on how long hyperspace travel takes, but I am just following the basic timeline of the roleplay, and this was how it was. Sorry if it gets confusing...

C YA!! Angel


	2. Memories

Disclaimer: I do not own anything to do with Star Wars, or either Kotor game. However, I do own Crystal Kasra, Mara Kirei, Marcus and Nicholas, and my friends own their characters.

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Crystal surveyed the planet before her in interest. The Jedi Master had never been here, and Crystal, even as a young child, had always been fascinated with the unknown. She had always loved new experiences.

The Jedi Master then frowned lightly in thought as she remembered something that Mara had told her. "Korgith, why did the Shadow Knights choose to settle here? Was it because of Jolee, or because Czerka Corporation no longer has any influence here?"

"Well, in a way, it's for both of those reasons."

Crystal then glanced over at the co-ordinate chart, and realised something else, "Wait a minute, the Shadow Knights used to use some of the old Czerka ports for docking didn't you?"

Korgith looked surprised, "Yes, that's right. How did you know?"

She pointed out at the abandoned docking bay that they were flying over, "I remember Mara mentioning something about these ports to me when she was telling me about Kashyyyk. Also, from something Jolee said about a year ago about how the known ports were no longer safe. I assume that he meant that the Shadow Knights needed to use their own hidden port, rather than ones that people knew about."

Korgith nodded, "Indeed. It was decided we had to find somewhere that no-one other than the Wookies knew about, else we ran the risk of being discovered."

Crystal nodded also. "Smart move. Anyways, I will leave the piloting of this ship into that port in your capable hands. So do it," she said as she moved her hands away from the controls.

Korgith chuckled. "Yes ma'am," he said with amusement.

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A short while later, the _Phoenix Hunter_ landed smoothly in the hidden Shadow port. Crystal calmly got up from her seat, and went to get some things from her bag before following Korgith out of the ship.

As she stepped of the ship, Crystal felt the quiet of the forest around her, and noticed how tall all the trees were as she stared around in wonder. Korgith smiled at her obvious delight at experiencing something new. "Crystal? We really should be moving; I need to speak with Master Bane."

Crystal turned back to Korgith, looking slightly sheepish, "Yes, of course. Lead the way."

Korgith smiled, and then led Crystal to the Shadow Knight base, which was built into the hollow part of an incredibly large tree. Crystal blinked when he walked up to the door, and ran her hands over the wood in surprise. "Your base is built into a tree?"

Korgith nodded distractedly as he typed the password into the computer panel. "Indeed it is. Ladies first," he said as the door opened.

Crystal smiled at him, and stepped through the door, resisting the urge to just stand there and stare around at the wonder before her. Korgith then stepped through the door after her, and quickly led her to Master Bane's office.

When they arrived, the Shadow Master rose from behind his desk, "Master Korgith, it's good to see you back. I only wish it were under happier circumstances."

He then turned to Crystal, "Master Kasra, you grow more beautiful every time I see you. I see why my friend here visits your enclave so frequently."

Crystal flushed. "Thank you, Andoris. It's wonderful to see you again also," she said with a smile as she sat down in the offered chair.

He smiled slightly back at her, and then turned his attention back to Korgith. "The situation is growing more serious. Tatooine has also fallen, and we have received word that the Sith are planning to take Onderon."

Crystal's expression changed, "Onderon? Does Queen Talia know?"

Andoris Bane nodded, "Indeed she does. We detected a Sith presence there some time ago, and some of our spies in her employ have even seen them. They are also loyal to the Queen, and told her of the danger."

Crystal smiled. "That is good to know." When Bane looked at her questioningly, she explained. "Talia is a dear friend of one of the Senators I know well," she explained.

Bane looked surprised, but then continued delivering his report to Korgith. After some time had passed, Crystal began to feel uneasy. She was slightly claustrophobic, and being in this room inside a tree for so long was starting to affect her. She stood up, and politely asked if she could just go outside for a moment. Bane agreed, and she quickly left, leaving the men to their discussion.

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When she was back outside, Crystal took a deep breath, merely enjoying the fresh air. She leaned back against the _Phoenix Hunter_, and closed her eyes. She sighed to herself, and began meditating. After a few short minutes had passed, she got the feeling that someone was coming. She opened her eyes, and saw one of the Shadow Knights approaching her. She vaguely recognised him as a former Jedi Knight, and wondered why he wanted to talk to her.

The Knight moved closer, looking slightly apprehensive. Crystal sighed, "You know, if you want to speak to me, I don't bite."

The man smiled, and walked over to stand in front of her. He then bowed. "My lady, I just wanted to inquire as to why you are here. You are the last person I would have suspected of leaving the Order."

Crystal flushed, "On no, you misunderstand. I am here to aid Master Korgith with the war against the Sith. He and Master Bane are in a meeting at the moment, but I just needed a bit of fresh air."

The Knight nodded. "Well, alright then. I hear you were made a Master since I left," he said with a grin, waiting to see if she'd recognise him.

Crystal stared at him blankly for a few moments, and then she recognised him. "Nicholas? Is that you? By the Force, I haven't seen you for about 8 years!" she said as she hugged him.

Nicholas grinned, "Glad to see you recognised me then, my lady. You've spent, what, 8 years with my twin brother?"

The Jedi Master flushed, "I'm sorry Nicholas; I thought you looked familiar, but it just took a while to place you...anyway, how are the Shadow Knights going for you?"

Nicholas smiled, "Quite well, actually. I'm glad my brother decided to go to the Jedi; I prefer being a Shadow Knight. And after that incident with the Sith that forced us to separate...well, I'm just glad it worked out so well for me. Speaking of which, how is Marcus? I haven't heard from him for a few months, I've been doing some work for the Shadows."

Crystal smiled, "Marcus is doing quite well. Marie seems to be growing on him."

Nicholas chuckled, "Is that the 'annoying little girl" he told me about last time we spoke?"

Crystal grinned. "Indeed. Except, he doesn't seem to find her so annoying now," she said with her eyes twinkling.

Nicholas laughed, "That I can believe. Well, it's been wonderful talking to you again after all this time; I was quite worried about you after all the Sith business that caused Marcus and I to take separate paths."

Crystal frowned, "You were? I'm sorry; I don't quite remember what you're talking about."

"Ahh, I forgot...well, anyways, I was referring to...to the death of your brother. My condolences on that, he was a good man."

Crystal lowered her gaze, "Yes, he was."

Nicholas looked anxious, "Please, forgive me. I didn't mean to bring it up."

Crystal glanced up again, still looking slightly sad, "It's alright."

Still looking slightly worried, Nicholas continued, "Well...I'm just glad you're doing okay now. It was nice seeing you again," he said as he hugged her.

The Jedi Master hugged him back, "It was nice seeing you again too," she said softly as he left. She stayed outside for a few more minutes, and then returned to the Shadow Knight base to go and find Korgith again.

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Crystal was walking through the base when she heard Korgith's voice call out to her. She turned around in surprise, and saw him run up to her.

"Where were you? I was getting worried."

Crystal smiled sheepishly, "Sorry, I didn't realise I was gone that long. I just went outside to your ship for awhile. Anyway, forget me. What did you and Andoris decide to do?"

Korgith frowned, but answered. "We've decided that we should go to Onderon as soon as possible, and the Republic will work on freeing Manaan. I believe you have contact with some of the hidden underwater bases on the Selkath?"

Crystal nodded, "Yes, Mara was given the co-ordinates for them, and the Selkath gave her a device that would enable her to contact them even if normal communications were cut. And Mara gave that device to me. When we get back to your ship, I can send Admiral Carth the information he needs if he plans to re-take Manaan. But for now, what about Onderon?"

Korgith led Crystal into the lounge room they were standing beside. He then replied, "We will be leaving as soon as we're ready, which will be in about an hour or so. Do you have anything you need to round up here?"

Crystal shook her head, fiddling with the pocket of her robes. To her surprise, she found something there, and pulled out a holocron. She stared at it, and turned it over in her hands. She then found a message taped to it, with an envelope. She pulled the message and envelope off, and quickly read the message.

_Dear Crystal,_

_I pray you won't be mad at me when you view this holocron, but you do need to remember. My final task for the Jedi Council is complete. I hope to see you again someday under happier circumstances._

_Nicholas_

Crystal stared at the note, and then pulled out the letter in the envelope. To her surprise, she saw her own neat cursive, and her eyes widened in fear. Korgith looked at her in alarm. "What is it?"

Crystal was still staring at the messages in her hands, "This holocron...it wasn't in my pocket this morning. It shouldn't be here."

He moved towards her, looking concerned, "Who is it from?"

Crystal shook her head in disbelief, "Well, the person that gave it to me is an old friend, and someone else gave it to him. That someone else...was me."

Korgith stared at her, "What do you mean?"

Crystal sighed, "I wrote this letter, about 9 years ago."

Korgith looked confused, "You wrote a letter to yourself? Why?"

Crystal turned the holocron over in her hands, stashing the note from Nicholas in her pocket. "9 years ago I asked some memories of my life to be erased from my mind. The memories were of the day my parents died, and then the day my brother died. I was distraught, and begged the council to erase my memories. Apparently, they also stored them away for me to deal with at a later date. It seems that Nicholas was given the task of returning my memories to me, and he also delivered the letter that could explain everything if I couldn't remember why it happened on my own."

Korgith looked surprised, "So, this holocron contains your lost memories? Do you want to view them?"

Crystal shook her head sadly, "Not really, but I will anyway. I suppose that if I ordered Nicholas to give them to me now, then I obviously need to know. It's just...can you stay with me while I watch them? I don't want to be alone."

Korgith smiled at her. "I'm surprised you have to ask," he said as he sat down beside her on the couch.

Crystal smiled gratefully at him, and then activated the holocron. As she suspected, it floated away from her into the middle of the room, and activated, oddly displaying the memory in third person.

_Two children, about 5 years old, were playing with a ball. The girl, with her curly brown hair and soft blue eyes, suddenly looked around in fright. "Callum! Something bad is coming!"_

_The little boy, who looked similar enough to the girl to be her brother, and possibly even her twin, scoffed at her, "Crystal, I'm not listening to you! Remember what happened last time you said that? You got me in so much trouble!"_

_The 5-year-old Crystal stood there, her hands on her hips, "I'm not lying this time! Mummy said we have to go to the big house down the street if I felt something bad!"_

_Callum looked like he was about to reply when a woman's scream was heard. Callum dropped the ball, and Crystal spun around in fright, "Mummy!"_

_Crystal then turned back to her brother, "Now do you see? We have to go!"_

_A third figure entered the yard. "I'm afraid I can't let you do that," a cold voice said menacingly._

_Crystal looked at the black-clad figure before her, and glared at him, tears in her soft blue eyes. "What did you do to Mummy?" she screamed at him._

_The Sith chuckled. "The exact same thing I shall do to you, child," he said as he activated his lightsaber and struck Crystal. She tried to dodge to the side, but the lightsaber still struck her in the shoulder, and she screamed. The Sith frowned, and went to strike again, but the 5-year-old Crystal somehow managed to freeze him in stasis._

_A fourth figure, a female Jedi, then entered the vision, looking horrified as she viewed the scene before her. The Jedi then ran over to the Sith, killing him with her own lightsaber before turning to the frightened children. She used the Force to heal Crystal's wound, and then lifted the little girl, talking soothingly to her as Crystal sobbed into her shoulder. The Jedi then quickly led the two children away from the dead Sith._

The holocron then deactivated for a few minutes, leaving Crystal staring at it in stunned silence, tears shining in her eyes. Korgith looked at her, looking quite worried.

Crystal then spoke, but her voice sounded hollow, "That was the day my mother died, and my father was killed soon after that."

Korgith looked like he was about to say something, but the holocron activated again, showing another memory.

_The holocron activated to show what looked like a Sith torture room. A young man was standing in one of the torture cells, and Crystal was standing in the other. From their similar appearances, it was clear that the man was her brother again. Both looked to be about 19 years old._

"_No matter what you do to us, we won't tell you anything!" Crystal screamed in defiance, her soft blue eyes filled with pain._

_The Sith standing at the controls chuckled. "My dear, whoever said I wanted information?" he said cruelly as he activated Callum's torture field. Callum screamed in pain and Crystal also began to scream as she watched her beloved brother in pain. Due to the bond between the two twins, Crystal was feeling some of the pain her brother was going through, but it was nothing compared to how he felt._

_This continued on for quite some time, with Crystal screaming and sobbing as she watched her brother get tortured to death right in front of her. Finally, Callum collapsed, and Crystal's final scream was heart-breaking. The Sith laughed cruelly, and moved so that he was right in front of her. He then tilted her tear-stained face towards him. "Don't worry my dear. I'll be back to finish you off too," he said as he released her, and then left the room, ordering the one remaining Sith to wait until he returned._

_After a few minutes had passed, silent except for Crystal's sobs, the remaining Sith at the controls reached out, and deactivated the field around her. Crystal collapsed with it, still sobbing hysterically. The Sith moved over to her, pulling off his hood to reveal his face. It was Marcus. _

_He gently pulled the broken Jedi into his arms, "My lady, please. We must get out of here. There is nothing more we can do for Callum, but we must leave."_

_Crystal nodded, and tried to stand. Marcus supported her, and they quickly left the room._

The holocron then deactivated once more; this time for good.

Korgith stared at the place where the vision has been only a few moments earlier in stunned disbelief and horror. He then turned to Crystal, and found tears running silently down her cheeks. When he went to move to comfort her, she whispered a single word. "Callum," she whispered to herself, before completely breaking down.

Korgith, looking very worried, pulled her into his arms, offering what little comfort he could. They sat there for quite a long time; Korgith gently rocking her as she sobbed and trying to comfort her. He now finally understood what it was to feel helpless: he wanted to help her so much, but he couldn't. He couldn't protect her from the horrors of her past, no matter how badly he wanted to. He cared about her a lot, and to watch her in such pain made his heart ache.

After some time, Crystal pulled away from Korgith, trying to dry her eyes with her hands. Korgith's look of pity deepened, and he gently stroked her hair. "I'm so sorry," he said at last.

She turned to look at him, and tried to smile. "It's alright; I'll be fine. It's just a huge shock, remembering that. Besides, you have no reason to be sorry. You didn't kill my parents, and you didn't kill my brother. The person that killed my mother is dead, and Callum was killed by a Sith."

Korgith looked troubled at her words, and said nothing. The Jedi Master then stood up, still trying to dry her eyes. "So, are we going to Onderon then?"

Korgith stood up also, frowning. He disapproved of her just brushing aside what had just happened to her, but decided against forcing her to think about it. "Well, yes we are. I think we should be leaving soon; Master Bane should be ready by now."

Crystal nodded, and left the room without another word. Korgith, still looking concerned, followed her. Within a few minutes, they had arrived at his ship, and indeed, a messenger was there to tell them that Master Bane wanted them to leave immediately. Crystal silently moved into the control room, and sat down in the co-pilot's seat. Still watching her worriedly, Korgith then sat in the pilot's chair, and proceeded to prepare his ship for leaving.

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Mostly in order to keep Crystal sinking further into her brooding, Korgith allowed her to take the controls, as it would hopefully keep her mind off things. Much to his surprise, she flew off into hyperspace quite smoothly and only asked for his aid in programming Onderon's co-ordinates. Most people had difficulty flying his ship, as he had so many modifications added to it, but the Jedi beauty seemed to have no trouble at all. Korgith smiled as he watched her; apparently the Jedi Master was more skilled than she let on.

After some time, Crystal finally broke the silence between them. "Do you want to know why my parents died?"

Korgith looked surprised. "I have to admit, I am curious. But you don't have to say anything unless you want to..." he added hurriedly.

She smiled slightly, "No, its ok. I suppose I need to talk about it."

She then took a deep breath. "I'm not exactly sure about some of this; it's all information I gathered before my memory was erased, and it only came back to me when I viewed those memories. Anyways, from what I've figured out, my mother Richelle was Head of Republic Intelligence and my father was a Jedi turned Republic agent. But something went wrong, and my dad ended up as a Sith spy. Apparently he was spying on the Republic, and gave the Sith a way to defeat them. Just when it was almost too late, he felt guilty for what he'd almost done, and told my mother what had happened. Fortunately, my mother was able to prevent the Sith attack, and even managed to turn it to her advantage."

She then sighed sadly, "Well, you just don't hand in a resignation to the Sith. They were furious when they found out what my dad had done, and swore to kill him. Just out of spite, they went for my mother too. My mother knew that the Sith were after her, and moved to a house near a Jedi Enclave. But, as you saw, the Sith still found her and killed her. I honestly don't know what happened to my father, or how he died, but I know he's dead. I...well...I suppose you could say I 'felt' it."

The Jedi beauty then sighed softly, looking sad. Korgith's face had gone completely blank. He had already known what she had just told him, but he didn't know... '_If she ever finds out, I'll lose her._'

Crystal didn't seem to have noticed anything wrong with Korgith, and moved off to the cargo hold to find her bag. She then started rummaging through it; placing the holocron and letter in a compartment on the side. She then went to the guest room, and changed into her comfortable sleepwear. Yawning softly, she settled down for a nice long nap.

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A few hours later, Crystal woke up to the sounds of the ship slowing down, about to land. Yawning slightly, she changed back into her Jedi robes, and moved back to the control room. She then sat down in the co-pilot's chair, trying to tie her hair into a loose ponytail. "You know, you could have woken me up."

Korgith continued to study the controls, refusing to look at her. "Well, I thought you could use the rest. Besides, after walking in on you sleeping, I decided against waking you."

Crystal flushed as she remembered how she'd gotten changed; her nightgown wasn't what one would call 'modest' as it was made of a rather thin silk. "Well, in that case, my thanks. Anyway, I take it we're almost there?"

Korgith nodded, still focusing on the controls. However, a slight flush rested on his cheeks too. "We'll be landing in a few minutes. I'd advise keeping your wits about you; I sense more than one Sith presence here."

The Jedi Master closed her eyes for a few moments, and then nodded as she opened her eyes. "You're right; I sense it too. Therefore, I suggest we try to finish this as quickly as possible."

He smiled, "I agree with you."

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Angel: Well, so ends Chapter 2. Stay tuned for more coming up soon, and please, do review!

C YA!! Angel


	3. Battle for Onderon

Disclaimer: I do not own anything to do with Star Wars, or either Kotor game. However, I do own Crystal Kasra, Mara Kirei, Marcus and Nicholas, and my friends own their characters.

'_Word'_ thoughts

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Crystal sensed something was wrong the minute she stepped off the ship. She then suddenly had the urge to go to her friend Queen Talia, who was no doubt in danger. Apparently, Korgith sensed her distress, because he placed his hand on her shoulder and gently squeezed it. "Don't worry, Talia will be fine. Your immediate concern should be the battle with the Sith."

Crystal nodded, and watched Andoris as he exited his ship, which had arrived at around the same time as theirs. "I suggest extreme caution, Master Kasra, Master Korgith. We are in danger here, and only by eliminating the Sith will we have a chance of sparing Onderon."

Crystal nodded again. "I agree, Master Bane. As for where the Sith are, I recognize a dark aura somewhere in the vicinity of the dock warehouses," she said as she gestured to the streets of warehouses before them.

Master Bane's expression was grim. "I suspect you are right. Come, let's go find them," he said as he led the trio off to find the Sith. '_Strangely enough, I feel a familiar presence...but, no, it couldn't be...'_

A short while later, they reached the largest warehouse; and all three could sense the darkness inside. Crystal sighed in resignation, and drew her lightsabers, "Come on, let's get this over with." Korgith then drew his sword, and Andoris drew his lightsaber. Crystal then pushed open the door, revealing a rather large room. Two Sith were standing inside, talking. At the sight of the Jedi and Shadow Masters, both moved to the side, drawing and igniting their red lightsabers. Andoris's eyes widened as he surveyed the female, and he moved towards her, looking stunned. The female Sith was also watching him in a display of shock.

Meanwhile, the male Sith had already struck Korgith with a Force Push, and he went flying into the wall. Crystal, looking concerned, moved over to stand in front of him, igniting her lightsabers. The male Sith smiled cruelly at her, "Pathetic Jedi. Only someone such as you would care about your comrades this way."

Crystal frowned at him, "Think what you like, Sith. I don't care for your opinion anyway."

He laughed, "Spoken like a true Jedi Master. You must be Master Kasra. Do you know who I am, girl?"

She sighed, "No, and nor do I care."

He smiled in an expression of pure evil, "That's too bad, my lovely. For I am Darth Sion, and you should fear me."

"Ah, you must be the Sith that supposedly can't die. Can't say I'm pleased to meet you."

"Supposedly? I like your confidence, Jedi wench. Let's see how confident you are when you lose!" he shouted as he smashed her into the wall, leaving her dazed and unable to call on the Force.

Meanwhile, Korgith had got to his feet. Looking furious, he stood in front of the semi-conscious Jedi, and raised his sword. He spoke a single incomprehensible word, and the sword began to dance with flames. Sion stepped back warily, glancing at Korgith in some surprise, and keeping his eyes on the blade. The two then ran at each other; Korgith's flaming sword against Sion's red lightsaber.

At the same time, Andoris and the female sith were walking towards each other looking shocked. The female spoke first, "Can it...can it really be you? No! The sith told me you were dead!"

Andoris's face was troubled, "The Jedi told me the same lie. I can hardly believe it; yet here you are, standing in front of me. How have the sith been to you, my sister?"

The female sith's eyes filled with tears, "Oh by the Force, it is you! But how? I was told you were dead!"

Andoris smiled at his twin sister, "Well, clearly I'm not. Domi, I presume?"

She nodded, still looking stunned, "You presume correctly. Oh Andoris, how could they lie to us like this?"

He smiled at Domi, "Because we are the Chaos Twins of legend. Born to a sith lord, together we would rule the galaxy. The Jedi feared the legend, and tore us apart as children. They even refused to take both of us, fearing the legend would still come true. I was taken to the Jedi, and you were left with the Sith. And I will make the council members who made this choice pay!"

Domi smiled at the anger in her brother's eyes. _'He was never supposed to be a Jedi. They did something to him; angered him, and he left for the Shadow Knights. I'm so glad I finally found him; they can't keep us apart now.'_

Back to the battle with Sion and Korgith; Sion had just Force pushed Korgith into the nearby crates, and Crystal stood up, still looking slightly dazed. "Sion, stop it!"

The Sith's eyes were crazed, and he turned to look at the Jedi Master, "My loved ones are gone, and this is the only way to destroy those who took their lives! So why should I stop?!"

Crystal ignited her purple lightsaber again, "Because, Sion, in your pointless revenge, you are robbing so many others of their loved ones too. Can't you see it? This is getting you nowhere, and won't bring them back!"

Sion's eyes widened, and he used the Force to start choking the Jedi master. "Shut up, Jedi bitch! You have no idea what I'm talking about, and I've heard enough from you!" he screamed as he smashed her into the ground.

The Jedi Master then started trying to concentrate on healing her wounds. Sion, looking livid, picked her up again, cutting off her power to the Force once more in pure rage.

Korgith then charged at Sion, desperate to stop the attack on Crystal. Sion let her go, and the Jedi beauty collapsed, unable to stand. Korgith, seeing her in pain, lost control. He attacked Sion in pure rage, striking twice as much as defending. His vicious slashes and stabs were of a completely different style of fighting to how he normally fought – fueled by rage, he was being reckless. Sion barely managed to dodge or block most of the attacks, and very few sparks flew off his lightsaber, as Exar was getting under his guard more often than not. Sion was covered in cuts, but not without a price. Exar was covered in minor burns from where the red beam had grazed his skin when he left himself open to attack his opponent. Exar's complete disregard for his own safety sparked something in Sion's memory, but the moment of recognition quickly passed. Slightly worried, Sion stepped back.

Seeing Sion retreat slightly, Exar roared and leapt forward, slashing downwards. Sion quickly raised his lightsaber to block the blade, and sparks flew off as they connected. However, he stumbled as Exar put his full weight into pushing downwards, and the Sith Lord jumped backwards, his eyes widening in fear at the sudden increased strength of his opponent. "Who are you to attack me this way?"

Korgith was now beyond recognition; the battle lust had taken over. "I am Exar Kun! And I swear I will destroy you!"

At his words, Andoris and Domi turned around in shock, and Sion looked stunned. Crystal, who had just managed to start concentrating on healing herself nearly fainted in shock from his words, but Korgith/Exar hadn't noticed the reaction to his words. Instead, he attacked Sion in a fit of pure fury, slashing across the Sith Lord's body in reckless abandon. Sion leapt backwards and threw a dagger at him, and it hit Korgith/Exar in the chest. Smiling grimly, Korgith removed the dagger, and then moved his flaming sword to the wound. The flames then caused the wound to close. Seeing this act, Sion, in sheer desperation, used the Force to damage the ceiling, causing it to come close to collapsing. Andoris and Domi then fled to their ships, and Sion also ran out of the building with a sneer. The Jedi and Shadow Master only had a few minutes before the roof collapsed on them, and the Jedi Master was far too weak to try anything.

Korgith/Exar, now that the battle lust was gone, was looking slightly horrified at what he'd just done. He then ran over to the nearly unconscious Jedi Master, who was struggling to get to her feet. With his aid, the two then also left the building, just before it collapsed.

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Several minutes later, Exar was carrying the Jedi Master into his ship. They had met up with one of Crystal's Jedi Knights, an Onderon girl named Tina. She was now accompanying them, as her ship had been flown back to Dantooine for repair. Tina ran ahead to Exar's ship to prepare somewhere for him to put the Jedi Master. Crystal was using up all her energy in trying to heal her wounds, and as a result, was barely conscious. Exar was getting quite worried about her. He walked up the boarding ramp, and into the main room. There, he gently laid her down on the couch, and ran off to find the medpacs in the cargo hold. He returned, and gently injected them into the Jedi Master. He then left her there to go start his ship and it jumped into hyperspace, heading for Yavin 4. Tina assisted him, and then retired to the guest quarters for a quick nap.

As soon as he was able, Exar left the cockpit, and ran to Crystal's side. The Jedi Master had just woken up, and had managed to pull herself into a sitting position. Exar sat down beside her, still looking quite worried. "Crystal, are you alright?"

The Jedi Master shook her head slightly to clear it, and stared at Exar in a slight daze, "Mmmm...I'll be fine."

Exar still looked worried. "You may have a concussion," he said as he placed his hand on her forehead.

She shook him off, and stabbed herself with another medpac. "Trust me; I'd know if I did. And I don't. I'm just a bit sore now, that's all."

Exar continued watching her for a few minutes, but finally gave in and decided she was right. "Alright then; if you're sure."

She smiled softly, and then turned to face him. "So, are you really Exar Kun then?"

Exar flushed slightly, and looked away from her. She continued to watch him closely, her expression blank.

He then turned back to look at her, trying to read her reaction. "Does it really matter?"

"Yes it does. It means you were once a Sith, and not only a sith, but the most aggressive sith lord in generations. It also means you lied to me."

Exar winced at the hurt tone of her voice, and looked away from her. "I didn't want you to know; I thought you would hate me."

Crystal's expression softened slightly, "Kor...Exar, I doubt I could hate you anyway, and I certainly don't hate you for this. If you tried to hide it, you're obviously not the same person anymore. So in that case, I suppose I can forgive you for who you once were. And I suppose I could also forgive you to lying to me."

He looked shocked to hear that she didn't hate him. "That's far more than I deserve."

She shook her head, "No its not. You're not the same person you were back then; so I can forgive you for your past. At least I know now."

Exar was still staring at her in a state of shock. The Jedi master sighed, and unsteadily got to her feet. Exar then moved to support her, but she shrugged him off. "Exar, I'm fine. Honestly."

A new voice entered the conversation, "Honey, I've seen rancors that look finer than you."

Crystal smiled in relief, and shook her head, "Hello to you too Tina. I see you managed to find another ride."

Tina winked at Crystal. "Of course. My charm hasn't failed me yet."

Crystal shook her head in exasperation, and went to move towards the cockpit. However, Tina stopped her, "Uh-uh. No way are you going anywhere. You are going to lie here and rest if I have to sit on you."

Crystal sighed, and reluctantly sat down. Tina's gaze then shifted to Exar, "Unless of course, you'd prefer to be left alone with your Shadow Master lover."

Crystal's face flushed scarlet. "Tina!!" Looking highly embarrassed, Crystal somehow found the energy to move quickly, and chased Tina back to the guest room, where she laughingly shut the door to prevent Crystal attacking her. Crystal then returned to the lounge room, and found Exar smiling to himself.

"Just what do you find so amusing?" she said, still flushed, and looking highly annoyed.

Exar tried to stop smiling, and found he couldn't. "Oh, nothing."

She glared at him, and stalked over to the cargo hold. After some time, she came back, her face looking far more composed, though she did look tired. She sat down on the couch again, and looked at Exar, "So, how can you be Exar Kun? Didn't you die in the wars over 40 years ago?"

Exar smiled slightly. "Well, technically I did. What actually happened was that I sealed my soul away inside a Sith temple. That temple is on Yavin, which is where we are going now. Several years ago, a Massassi warrior found his way to my temple. He was too weak to live, and I took over his body. Although I'm not exactly sure how, this body then changed to fit my appearance. I then left the temple, and traveled to the Jedi. After a few years there, I left and joined the Shadow Knights." (1)

Crystal nodded, "Ah, I see. So how did you actually get that scar on your face? Clearly, all the stories you told me before was a lie."

He winced, "Well, I suppose I deserve that. But there was some truth in most of the stories. I just left out the parts of my life I didn't want you to know; the parts I wanted to forget."

She sighed, "Fair enough. I'm actually quite surprised that I believed your original stories. They seem so false now that I know the truth."

Exar smiled sadly, "Forgive me to lying to you Crystal, but I just didn't want to lose you for the mistakes of my past."

She smiled at him, "It's alright Exar; I forgive you. And besides, sometimes its best to share your mistakes; sometimes something you thought was a mistake can turn out to be the best thing in your life."

He stared at her, "How can being a former Sith lord be the best thing in my life?"

She flushed, "Sorry; that was a bad example for you. Anyways, being a former sith lord proves that you had the strength to change, and that you had the strength to forgive yourself. Not many could do that. I know Mara completely fell apart when she found out who she had once been. But with the support of those she loved, she was able to pull through. But if she hadn't been so strong herself, she wouldn't have survived."

"You admire her, don't you?"

"Of course I do! She was one of my best friends, and the Jedi didn't change her personality when they wiped her memory. She's been able to face being a feared Sith lord, and she's a stronger person for it. I do admire her; her courage, her determination, her ability to live life to the full, her willingness to help others, and her ability to forgive. She forgave herself, her friends, and the Council. She even forgave Malak. So yes, I do admire her. She let her heart rule her, in open defiance of the Council, and yet it made her a far stronger person than she once was."

Exar smiled, "So, do you believe the Code is wrong to forbid love? Do you believe that most members of the Council underestimate it?"

Crystal sighed, "I don't know. I believe it's wrong to forbid love; it gives a person something to fight for. If Carth hadn't been there, I know Mara would have lost her battle with herself. But he gave her the strength to fight the darkness in her heart. So yes, I suppose I do believe the Code is wrong."

He smiled at her, "Well, it's nice to see that they haven't brainwashed you completely."

"Oh, be quiet you. Have your disapproval of the Council all you like, but don't forget, you are speaking to one of its members."

He grinned, and bowed, "Then I must beg your forgiveness, oh wise one."

She flushed, "Stop that! Honestly..."

Exar just kept grinning, and left for the cockpit again to make sure they were headed in the right direction. A short while after he left, Tina returned, nibbling on some crackers.

"You know, he is quite good-looking. You know how to pick 'em, Crystal."

The Jedi Master blushed, and threw a pillow at her friend, "Tina, that is not helping."

She just ducked, and grinned. "You know what, I reckon he likes you too. Why else would he care what you thought about the codes rules on emotions; and love in particular?"

Crystal didn't answer, and instead walked over to the cargo hold to grab some food herself. Tina just followed her, a wide grin on her face. "Honey, just face it. You love this guy, don't you? I've seen the way you look at him whenever he visits."

Crystal ignored her, and pulled some more crackers out of the bag she had opened earlier. She then sat down on one of the many boxes with a sigh. She looked at Tina, and the Jedi Knight smiled, awaiting her answer. Crystal then closed her mouth, and stood up. "It doesn't matter, Tina," she said quietly as she walked past her, heading back to the lounge area.

Tina sighed in exasperation and followed her friend. After a few minutes of eating, Crystal was back to her normal cheerful self, and the two friends started chatting.

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1: For those that don't know, the Massassi were a race that looked exactly like humans, but had red skin. Also, I apologise for the discrepancies in this Exar Kun story, but those changes were made by the person who roleplayed as Exar...

Angel: And so ends chapter 3. If you have any questions about this chapter, I'll do my best to answer them next chapter, because this was a really confusing part of the roleplay, and thus was rather difficult to write while making sense. Anyway, hope you enjoyed it, and please review! Chapter 4 will come faster if you do :D

C YA!! Angel


	4. Trouble on Yavin 4

Disclaimer: I do not own anything to do with Star Wars, or either Kotor game. However, I do own Crystal Kasra, Mara Kirei, Marcus and Nicholas, and my friends own their characters.

'_Word'_ thoughts

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A few hours later, the _Phoenix Hunter_ landed on Yavin 4. Crystal, who had fallen asleep again, sat up with a yawn. "Are we there yet?" she murmured sleepily as she stood up.

Tina, who had gone back to the guest quarters to sleep, came out again, yawning and throwing on her cloak. "I suppose so. Feels like we've landed."

At that moment, Exar returned from the cockpit. "Ladies, we have just landed on Yavin 4. I need to investigate something in the temple, but you two are free to remain here."

Crystal yawned again, and Tina looked at her. "Don't you need to contact somebody, Crystal?"

Crystal blinked several times, and then realized who Tina meant. "Oh yes, I almost forgot."

Tina stared at her, "You forgot? Honestly, you must be exhausted if you'd forget. Guess we'll see you in a few minutes then."

Crystal nodded, "Suppose so. I'll catch you two up in a little while." The Jedi Master then disappeared to the communications room.

Tina turned to Exar with a sigh. "Suppose we should get going then."

He nodded, "Suppose so. If I may ask, who is Crystal contacting?"

Tina looked at him, her expression un-readable. "If she wants you to know, she will tell you. It's not my place." The Jedi Knight then left the ship without another word.

Exar looked curious at her words, but shrugged it off and followed her.

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Not long after the pair stepped off the ship, another ship landed on the landing pad near the temple. Both Jedi Knight and Shadow Master could feel the malice of the person inside, and both pulled out their lightsabers. Unfortunately, Exar had lost his sword at the battle for Onderon; he had been too worried about Crystal to find it after Sion made him drop it. Therefore, he now carried a blue double-bladed lightsaber. Meanwhile, Tina had her two cyan lightsabers in her hands, her eyes watching the new threat.

When the pilot of the ship jumped out, both companions knew the cause of the hatred. The pilot of the ship was Darth Sion, who was looking most unimpressed to see them.

"I wonder, Lord Exar, why have you not reclaimed your heritage as a Sith lord? Why do you fight against those who were once your brethren?" he said, making it apparent that he had come here looking for Exar.

Exar ignited both ends of his lightsaber. "The answer to your question is that I found something more important than the dark lure of ultimate power and control."

Sion sneered. "If you mean that pretty Jedi bitch of yours, she's hardly worth it."

Exar's expression was murderous at the insult to Crystal, and he attacked. Sion was a little surprised by the sudden ferocity of Exar's attack, but recovered quickly. They dueled for a few minutes, whereas Tina waited patiently to the side. She was waiting for the time when she could press her advantage – in the meantime using the Force to probe Sion's mind.

Indeed, after several minutes, she found the advantage. Sion started backing away from Exar, and she moved up behind him. "You made a grave mistake when you turned your back on me," she growled angrily as she moved her lightsaber to his throat.

Sion merely grinned evilly, and used the Force to jump upwards suddenly. It soon became clear why he had moved: Exar had just thrown a dagger straight at his heart. Tina received no warning of Exar's attack, and because Sion had moved, the dagger struck her instead. Fortunately, as she was a different build to Sion, and had turned away slightly, it was merely a glancing blow, and didn't pierce her heart. But it was still a potentially fatal wound if not treated quickly and properly.

Exar looked horrified at what he had done, and Sion (who had landed next to his ship) just cackled. "Well, it was my pleasure doing business with you," he called back to the pair. He then got back into his ship and took off into orbit once more; heading for Korriban.

Exar ran over to Tina's side, a look of horror still on his face. As he ran, he screamed for the Jedi Master. "Crystal! Get out here now! We need your healing skills!"

Crystal had been unable to reach the person she was trying to contact, and had been leaving a message when she 'felt' Tina get hit. Looking shocked, she quickly turned to the recording button. "Sorry darling, but I have to go. I'll try calling you again later. Bye." She then sent the message, and fled the ship to Tina's side.

Just as she left the ship, she heard Exar's yell, and saw him trying to repair the damage. Seeing that it was a potentially fatal wound on Tina's chest, Crystal immediately ran over, and pushed him out of the way. She then placed her hands over the wound, using the Force to concentrate on healing it.

Exar was still looking shocked, and Crystal turned her head to face him. "I can't completely heal this wound right now; all I can do is get it past the danger stage. There should be some medpacs and bandages in my bag. Can you please go get them?"

The Shadow Master nodded, and took off.

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Some time later, they were able to reasonably heal Tina's wound, and Crystal had applied kolto patches and bandages to heal what the Force could not on such short notice. Sighing heavily, she stood up again. "Well, that was something I don't want to repeat for some time. What on earth happened, Exar?"

Exar looked guiltily at the Jedi Master. "Sion was standing in front of her, and I threw a dagger at him. I was so consumed by the need to hurt him that I didn't even know she was behind him until he moved."

She gently squeezed his arm reassuringly. "It's alright Exar, you didn't know. Tina is fine now, so nothing bad came from it."

He sighed, "I suppose you are right."

The Jedi Master smiled gently, and then remembered the wound he'd taken on Onderon. "Exar, what about that dagger wound you received? I doubt your sword could have effectively healed it," she said, looking concerned.

Exar shrugged. "Well, it must have. It doesn't hurt, so don't worry about it."

Not to be put off, the Jedi Master reached out and shifted aside his robes so that she could get a look at the wound. She frowned as she surveyed the scar. "I don't like the looks of that. It looks as though it could split open again at any moment. Hold still a minute," she said as she placed her hand over the wound, calling on the Force to heal it. After a short while, she shifted her hand slightly to cover the bottom of the wound, and Exar drew back slightly. When she looked up at him in puzzlement, he smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, that tickles."

Crystal smiled and moved her hands away from him, turning to face the temple behind them. "Well, unless another Sith lord drops out of the sky and tries to attack us, I think we should get going if we want to explore the temple. It will be night in a few hours, and I don't want to be inside it when it's dark. This place already gives me the creeps. It's strange though...there is something familiar here..."

Exar's face went blank. _'She will hate me for this,'_ he thought miserably.

Crystal continued to probe the area around her for a few minutes, and suddenly realized what the familiar presence was. Although it had been so long, recently remembered grief caused her to realise who it was. She spun around to face Exar; tears glittering in her beautiful blue eyes. "My father wasn't killed on some far away planet by Sith assassins, was he?" she said softly, her eyes staring accusingly into his.

Exar flinched from the hurt in her voice as though she'd slapped him. He looked away from her eyes; he couldn't bear to face her now. "No, he did not," he replied quietly.

"Why, Exar? By the Force, why would you do this? If I can still sense his presence now, after all these years, then he must have died here in agony."

Exar winced again, but still refused to look at her. "After I sealed my soul in this temple, my followers would leave every now and again to find Jedi. Those Jedi would be brought back here, where their lives would fuel mine and keep me alive."

"One of those Jedi was my father. You knew the second I showed you my memories, didn't you?" she said, unable to keep the accusing tone from her voice.

He nodded, "I did. Something about your father intrigued me: he radiated a great personal loss. I was interested to know why a Jedi would feel loss; they are supposed to have no emotions. Through my servants, I asked him why he felt that way. He told me his story. Never did he leave me to believe that he had left the Jedi, so I was even more astounded by his story. However, my servants believed him to be lying, and killed him anyway. Sadly, the only way I could possibly use his life energy was to kill him slowly."

Crystal didn't look convinced. "So Exar, do you expect me to forgive you for this too? Perhaps I could forgive you for killing nameless innocents in wars, but to specifically hunt down Jedi and use their life energy to fuel your own? Do you expect me to forgive you that?" she said, aware of how cold she must sound. She could forgive him for the death of millions of innocents, but the minute her loss was personal, she got angry. _'This is not the Jedi way'_, she thought desperately, trying to shove her grief aside.

He turned to look at her, his eyes blank. "No, Crystal. To forgive me for this would be far more than I deserve."

Tina, who had just managed to pull herself into a sitting position, rolled her eyes and sighed. "Crystal? You're not telling me that you're suddenly going to go against every value you ever taught me, are you? You forgave him for being a Sith; this is unfortunately part of that."

Crystal didn't say anything, and Exar moved over to her, his eyes desperately seeking hers. "Crystal, please. If there was only one thing I could change about my time as a Sith lord, it would be the role I had in your father's death. It hurts me to see you in pain, and it kills me to know I'm the cause. I know I don't deserve it, but please, forgive me. I wouldn't do anything like that now; like you said, I'm a different person," he said as he looked at her pleadingly.

Crystal turned to look at the former Sith lord. "Exar, I...I don't know. If it had been anyone else but my own father..."

Tina sighed heavily, "Crystal..."

Sighing to herself, Crystal looked back at Exar. "Exar, I'm sorry. Like Tina said before, I've already forgiven you for being a sith. To hate you for this would just be cruel to you. But this will take some getting used to."

Exar looked relieved. "This is far more than I deserve, but I thank you."

Crystal didn't reply immediately and instead turned her attention back to the temple. "While I'm in the process of forgiving you; anything else you'd like to share?"

He winced at the angry tone in her voice. "No, and I'll swear to you that that is the truth."

She sighed. "I suppose that your word might be worth something now," she said softly, almost to herself. However, Exar heard it, and winced again. With Crystal's aid, Tina managed to stand up, and merely looked slightly amused with the whole thing. "If you two are finished, can we get moving? Standing out here is giving me the creeps."

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Sometime later, the three entered what had been Exar's 'throne room'. Tina, who was by now walking on her own, stared at the huge statue of Exar that dominated the back wall of the room. "Wow."

Crystal shaded her eyes as she glanced up at the huge statue. "Well, although you do look alright 50 feet tall and evil, I'd have to say you look far more handsome the way you are now." The Jedi master then flushed as she realised what she'd said, and turned away. '_Tina will never let me forget this_,' she thought miserably to herself. Tina just grinned as she guessed what was going through her friend's mind.

Exar merely smiled, "Why, thank you Crystal. Anyway, everything here seems to be in order. Let me just activate the planetary defense system, and we can leave."

Crystal stared apprehensively at the control panel on the armrest of the tall gold throne they were approaching. "What, pray tell, is this defense system?"

Exar sat down in the chair, and his fingers nimbly moved over the controls. Both Tina and Crystal started as they felt the ground move as it opened up outside to reveal the weapon. Exar grinned, and pressed a few more buttons. To the Jedi's' surprise, the roof then opened up to show them exactly what Exar was talking about.

He grinned at the girls' looks of amazement. "That gun there is capable of destroying a capital ship in one shot."

Crystal looked stunned at the information. "Are you serious? If that's true, how on earth did you manage to lose the war? No-one would have been able to get near the planet."

Exar chuckled, but there was a sad note in his voice. "So I believed too. I overlooked the fact that most of the ships it destroyed over my reign were traveling pretty much alone. This weapon can only destroy one ship at a time with its power and targeting systems, and takes a while to recharge. Therefore, when the Jedi sent so many ships and fighters against me, I was unable to destroy them all. Several of the fighters landed, and the Jedi then came here to finish me off. They believed me dead, and left."

Crystal noted the remembered pain in Exar's voice, and decided not to ask him to relive that particular day again. Her soft blue eyes scanned the room around them, and caught sight of an ornately carved door in the right wall directly beside the former Dark Lord's throne. "Where does that lead?" she asked curiously as she moved towards the door.

Exar frowned lightly as he tried to remember, "Hmm...I believe that is the door that led to the training grounds. No doubt that the grounds are completely destroyed through lack of care over these last few years."

Crystal didn't seem to mind, and began studying the dust-covered door. Every now and then she would lightly brush away some of the dust with her fingers in order to closer examine one marking or another. After a while, Exar wandered over to the door as well, and together they managed to pull the old door open.

After stepping outside, the Jedi Master knew what Exar had meant. The smooth flat ground that had been used for sword-fighting and suchlike when he had reigned as Sith Lord was now in a state of complete disrepair. The grass was growing every which way, and several of the stones marking out the different grounds were cracked and covered in dust.

Exar walked up behind the Jedi Master, looking slightly amused. "As you can see, the few times I have returned here I have not entered this area, nor taken any care of it. I confess that mowing grass for a few hours was never a task I planned to undertake."

Crystal chuckled slightly at that, and moved out over the grassy area until she came to a building on the other side. Pushing on the door, it opened to reveal a large stone training ground, with a few levels above the wall on one side where others could view the sparring matches that would take place there. To her surprise, the place still looked to be in surprisingly good condition, besides a few cobwebs and a lot of dust. She moved into the centre of the stone floor, glancing around at the worn markings on the ground.

(AN: There is supposed to be a sparring match/fight sequence here between Exar and Crystal. However, as I am terrible at writing fight scenes, as evidenced by the shortness of the Sion/Exar fight, I will be asking a friend to help me write it. The gist of the fight is that Crystal scores first touch, and then eventually wins, though Exar pretty much lets her win. After the duel has ended, Tina yells out.)

After Exar had left, presumably to see what Tina had yelled about, Crystal felt her commlink go off just as she was about to leave the training ground. Pulling it out, she saw who the message was from, and immediately lifted it to her mouth to talk to the person.

Meanwhile, Exar had just run into Tina in the throne room. It soon became clear what she had yelled about: a large boulder had tried to squish her when she was inspecting Exar's throne. She was still looking startled, and started yelling at Exar the moment she saw him.

"What the hell do you think you're doing planting booby traps like that?!? No-one else even knows this place exists! Why bother? You could have gotten me killed!! Why didn't you warn me? Do you want me dead? And what if Crystal had been the one to look at the throne? What would you have done then?"

Exar blinked as he considered all the questions Tina was throwing at him. "Well...I suppose I just forgot about it. I haven't been here for quite some time, remember."

Tina just glared at him, and walked away from the throne muttering to herself. "Forgot...totally ridiculous...complete idiot...could have killed me...just wait'll Crystal hears about this."

At the mention of Crystal's name, Exar suddenly realized she was no longer standing behind him, and returned to the training grounds.

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Crystal was still standing in the middle, though her back was to the entrance. She sighed softly, a few tears forming in her eyes. "I'm so sorry, Charlotte," she whispered as she returned the commlink to her pocket.

Exar then ran into the complex, looking relieved when he saw the Jedi Master standing there. "Crystal, there you are! What are you doing out here?"

The Jedi Master turned around, looking startled. It was then that Exar realized her eyes were slightly red. "Crystal...what's wrong?" he asked softly, looking concerned.

She shook her head, "Do not worry about me. I'll be fine. I just received some...saddening news from Coruscant. I'll have to send my ship there to collect something for me when we return to Dantooine."

Exar didn't look convinced. "Well...if you say so. And if that's what you want, we'll go to Dantooine straight away."

She looked at him in surprise. "Are you sure?"

He shrugged. "There is nothing else to keep me here. I got what I came for, and my temple is now protected. I wanted to leave now anyway, and since I can't think of any other place where I should be at the moment, I might as well take you to Dantooine."

She smiled gratefully at him. "In that case, thank you. It means a lot to me," she said softly as she left the training grounds with him.

Exar smiled in return, his heart pounding at the look on the Jedi Master's face. She was a Jedi Master, and as such, supposedly didn't believe in love. But sometimes, she would give him a look that gave him hope, and he lived for those moments. He already knew that she didn't truly believe in some sections of the Jedi Code, and the small hope that he might have a chance had flared when he'd found that out.

He sighed to himself, and decided not to dwell on what 'might be' while the war continued. But it seemed that everyday, he only fell further for her. Being around her so much was only making it harder for him to focus on the tasks set before him.

Crystal, completely unaware of the thoughts running through her companions mind, ran on ahead to find Tina, who had been exploring some of the old dormitories and rooting through various lockers and footlockers. After a quick chat over some of the items Tina had found, the two women decided that they were ready to leave, and followed Exar to the landing pad. A short while later, the _Phoenix Hunter_ lifted up into orbit and jumped into hyperspace. Its destination: Dantooine.

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Angel: Well, I hope you enjoyed chapter 4, and as always, please review! This chapter does need some editing, particularly around the part where Crystal realises Exar killed her father, but I will tend to that in the future - for now, I just felt I needed to post another chapter.

C YA!! Angel


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